


Falling

by InsanityCreator



Series: Star Sans Poly [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Sanses - Freeform, M/M, Multi, a lot of worrying, mostly done by blue, star sanses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24160906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsanityCreator/pseuds/InsanityCreator
Summary: In a middle of the Star Sanses battle to protect a universe from Nightmare and his gang, Ink goes missing. It's no mystery where he ended up.
Relationships: Dream/Ink, Dream/Swap Sans, Ink/Swap Sans, Sans/Sans (Undertale), Star Sans Poly - Relationship
Series: Star Sans Poly [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743619
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	Falling

A knife flies past, grazing his cheek. He quickly redirects his aim, shooting Killer in the shoulder with an arrow of light. Not what he was aiming for, especially considered the monster has such a well-placed target on his chest. However, he really hadn’t considered he’d need to look out for anyone other than Nightmare! Then again, they also hadn’t been expecting the attack at all. Of course it’s the day they were planning a movie night. 

Speaking of Nightmare, he jumps back as a sharpened tendril strikes the ground he used to stand on, trying to take advantage of his change in focus, he shouts to his companion. “Blue, I thought you were handling Killer!”

“I am but one very dashing man! I cannot keep three serial killers busy by myself!” Blue yells back, using a bone to block an axe swing, using his other to pin the sleeve of the attacking monster to the ground. He ducks under a blaster’s laser, rolling out and to his feet. Summoning several bones behind him, he shoots them at Dust. He teleports out of the way.

“What do you mean ‘by yourself,’ where’s Ink!?” Dream asks franticly, before thinking and adding, “Gosh!” at the last moment. At that word, Blue glances over for a split second, understanding in his eyes. He turns his attention on Nightmare. Dream finds himself relieved he still remembers their code words. Ink could never be bothered to memorize them.

“I don’t know, he was here a moment ago with Killer, on the bridge!” Blue summons several blasters behind the nearby trees, dodging in the time he isn’t focused on that.

“Yeah, about that!” Killer suddenly shouts, interrupting their conversation and drawing their attention. His grin stretches across his face, eyes wild. “That decrepit old thing snapped, your friend’s mush.”

“What!?”

Blue’s momentary distraction costs him as an axe is thrown from the pinned Horror, getting lodged in his back. He flinches and shakes, struggling not to fall. Dream doesn’t let Ink’s possible demise nor Blue’s injury make him waver. He knows he can’t afford to mess up now or they’ll end up captured. Again. He’s pretty sure Blue is out of ways to bribe Error into helping them get out, and their other method of escape is, as so eloquently put by his enemy ‘mush.’

He dashes to Blue, getting behind him and swinging his bow to knock back an all too eager for EXP Dust. It connects with the side of his head, causing him to stumble, seeming dazed. Dream turns his bow into a staff, smashing it against Dust’s skull again, knocking him out. He creates a golden barrier around them, two sharpened bones and a knife slash being stopped as the barrier shudders. Dream quickly pulls the axe out of his companion’s back, hands lighting in healing magic as he helps Blue to his feet. He gives a shaky thank you.

Dream gazes at Nightmare the whole time. It’s been a good few seconds since he’s attacked, and that means he’s either thinking or plotting. It could quite possibly be both. Horror finally rips his sleeve free of the bone pinning him, grunting as he pulls himself to his feet. Killer tosses him a hunting knife from his coat. Dream looks at Blue, who nods. Pulling back a new arrow in his bow, aimed at Nightmare while his companion picks up the bloodied axe and watches Horror and Killer, he lowers the barrier.

Immediately very darkness lashes out from under them, which they both jump to the side in order to avoid. In the same movement Blue swings his hand down, firing all the hidden blasters from behind the trees, incinerating them as Dream quickly changes target at the last second again, this time the action being more practiced. His arrow hits its mark, a little more perfectly than he thought it would, sticking through Horror’s empty eye socket and out the back of his head. The blasts surround Nightmare and the ground around him, giving him no time to move far enough away to avoid it.

He’s quick to sink into the ground, black liquid reforming him away from the lasers. Still he looks severely crisped. “Calamari!” Blue shouts. Dream chokes down a laugh, clearing his throat at the unexpected remark. Killer doesn’t bother to hide his own laughter, cackling.

Nightmare’s quick to zip towards Horror as a shadow and lay his hands on his shoulders roughly, tearing the arrow out with a tendril. Healing magic fixes the wound and stops him from dusting. He blinks a few times. Dream takes the opportunity to fire two arrows into Nightmare’s back while Blue teleports behind Killer and swings his axe, cutting deep across his back. Though Killer stumbles, he spins around, knife in a wide arc. Blue steps back to avoid the clumsy attack.

Growling, Nightmare will pick Horror up with one tendril and Dust in another before zipping behind Killer. Grabbing him by the shoulder, he pulls them all into the shadows yet again, this time leaving the timeline completely. Dream and Blue let out a sigh of relief, glad they could turn the tides even with just two of them. However, with the tension gone the worry returns. Dream dismisses his bow while Blue shoves the axe into his inventory, running to where the bridge once stood. Rope and wood, it seems some misplaced attacks were the cause of it falling if the ink and dusty, clean cuts on the severed ropes were any indication. Blue carefully got to his knees and leaned forward to get a look down the chasm. 

From such a distance it was hard to make anything out for certain. There was a river running through the bottom, and a splotch of black was noticeable against the snow, even at this height. Blue immediately began contemplating if he could teleport that far down accurately. Generally he needs to appear in a place he knows or that’s close by. Not wanting to get it wrong and become a splatter himself, he gives it careful consideration.

Dream takes one look over the edge and sees it isn’t vertical at parts. He groans. Why did it have to be Ink? He’s the one with the best acrobatics. Then again, he is also the most likely of them to survive a direct fall down this depth.

Shaking his head, he’ll adjust his clothing so nothing could get in the way before dipping off the edge of the cliff himself, much to Blue’s horror. He begins his slide down, keeping his balance centered back in order to not start tumbling forward. His cape and coat flutter behind him, making him worry that he should have tied them up or taken them off all together. It’s too late now though. He tries to continue down, using his momentum to lean from side to side, moving to finding places in which he can still slide and avoiding the numerous complete drops. He can hear Blue yelling after him.

Seeing himself come close to a section that would require more precision he summons his staff and uses it to jab at the rock face, pushing himself side to side. It works at first, though he finds the rougher, steeper surface too fast for him as he stumbles, then falls forward.

He’s in the air, falling now. He frantically looks for a way to break his fall. The river? No, who knows how deep it actually is. If it’s shallow, he’ll break his bones, if it’s not he’ll be swept away. Besides, water is not a comfortable thing to land at all, contrary to popular belief. The snow isn’t going to break his fall enough from this height either. He spots the several tall trees at the bottom, lean as they’ve grown to avoid the cliff face. Yet they still hang over parts of the river. Tree? Tree. Perfect.

Readying his staff, he’ll look for the sturdiest branch where he’s going to go through them. Seeing one, he waits until close enough, just a reach away… He’ll quickly hook over it with his staff, grabbing the other side in the same action! He spins around the branch a few times, the awkward angle making him go in spirals towards the safer, sturdier part of the branch, closer to the tree trunk. He unfortunately loses his grip as he hears an unpleasant, painful crack from his arm. With a yell he falls, completely letting go of his staff.

However, his maneuvers all worked to slow the awful speed he’d find himself if he’d just jumped off. He lands the snow, flat and spread out, creating a Dream-sized snow angel with a poff. ‘Graceful. Utterly majestic,’ he jokes internally despite his chest creaking in protest as he sees stars, head hurting, feeling dizzy. He’s not quite sure if he was laying there for a few seconds or a few minutes, too disoriented. He can still hear Blue yelling above him, but can’t make out what he’s saying in this state, his voice sounding muffled. He has a few guesses what he’s saying though.

With a groan, he tries to get up, only to wince and fall back on his face. Turning his head to the side, he sees his radius gave out on him, snapped in half rather cleanly. Shifting, despite the pain flaring in his chest, he’ll grab the bone, forcing it back in place. He grits his teeth to quiet any sounds of pain, using healing magic to fuse the bone together.

He tries to get up again and manages to push himself up on his hands and knees, coughing. Moving his hand to his face, he finds golden blood. From his nose or mouth? He’s not sure. Fantasting. His feet also feel like they’re burning, snow melting at the heat friction created with his boots. He struggles to get to his feet, their soles complete worn down, almost smooth, all grooves now forward.

The melted ice is quick to freeze again, making standing an even greater challenge. He slides and falls back down once, twice. He lets himself just watch the sky for a few moments from his back. Blue’s face is still peaking over the side of the ravine, though it’s impossible to make out his expression from this distance. Nevertheless, Dream can clearly feel his shock, worry and frustration. He’s not used to feeling that last emotion aimed towards himself, it’s normally Ink. Though he supposes he probably deserves it, what he did was pretty stupid. Though with Blue teleporting being risky and him unable to teleport to somewhere without positive feelings, there weren’t many other options. Trying to climb the bridge hanging down would only get him about a third of the way, and then it’s a sheer drop. No thanks.

Getting up for a third time, finally successful, he slides his way over to the black blob in the snow. Not point in fighting the slide, he’s embraced it.

Sitting at the edge of the river is an arm, severed completely from the body, joint and all. Two sleeves, one longer and the other shorter cover it, both ripped at the seams as well. Familiar, but the most damning proof is in the tablet glove and fractured bone fragments, gray and covered in black marks. Ones not caused by the inky blood.

This is Ink’s arm alright. But where’s the rest of him? He certainly isn’t here. Though it can be hard to tell from any distance compared to others, Dream still can faintly feel the faux emotions given to Ink through his vials. Maybe if he landed in the water he could have been swept away. If this arm is anything to go by, he likely did fall in. Though his arm wouldn’t have been pulled off by landing this way, surely all of him would have broken still and the arm wouldn’t have popped out at the joint while leaving nothing else. As if he dropped and fell through the liquid like it was a second chasm, his arm being caught on a ledge.

‘The liquid.’ It dawns on him. Dream groans. “Ink?” He calls to the water and splattered blood.

The water immediately bubbles and darkens, forming a familiar figure. A grin crosses his face, which morphs into a demonic expression, eyes dark and appearance somehow scratchy. “Who summoned me..!?” he asks in a course, sinister voice, scarf whipping out behind him viciously.

Dream rolls his eyes, placing a hand on his hip. “Cut that out, we were really worried and it was a pain to get down here.” Though kind, his tone holds a sort of sarcasm he only ever allows himself to display around Ink and Blue. As well as a few of their enemies, who he’s found to just be a lost cause in reasoning with.

Laughing, Ink will splash out of the water, onto the ground. “Sorry, I just couldn’t get back here for a while? No fluid close enough, I didn’t know where I’d end up,” he explains. “Are you okay? Your shirt’s looking a little, uhh, shiny. Like you rolled in golden leaf. Your face too.”

Dream looks down to realize Ink’s statement is true. He pulls down the cloth covering his torso, letting it hang around his hips as he touches his chest to heal it as well. Ink takes a step forward, presumably to also help with how he grabs on of his smaller brushes, only to hear a crunch at his feet. Looking down he sees the remains of his missing arm.

“Oh! There you are! Good old lefty, I missed yoooou!” He shuffles to the side and sits, scarf tails being carried by the current, though not enough to undo it. Neither becomes wet despite the water. Ink begins the arduous task of picking up the bone fragments and holding them in place, then painting them back together.

Hearing shouting above them, Dream turns his gaze upwards. He can make out Blue’s words this time. “You two are jerks!! But also are you okay!! If you aren’t I’ll fight you!! Dream that looked super cool but also like it hurt and it was really, really stupid!!” he exclaims.

“We’re fine down here!! And also I know!!” Dream shouts back up at him. He feels bad for almost laughing; his companion is truly concerned and worried. “Ink’s healing; we’ll come to you once he’s good! Just start fixing things pretty please!!”

“Fine!! But I get to choose our movie for movie night! Because I’m the only one who isn’t giving other people heart attacks!”

“That’s fair!”

Blue finally moves away from the edge and out of sight. Dream feels his emotional presence moving towards the Snowdin village, becoming fainter as it gets farther from him. Turning his attention back to Ink, he notices that the artist has gotten distracted; beginning to paint leaves, only for them to fall into the river and drift peacefully downstream.

“Ink! Please focus,” he pleads. The artist looks back at him, in surprise before his expression changes to a sheepish one. “Sorry.” He’ll get back to reattaching bone.

Dream comes over to help, kneeling in front of him and finding bone pieces to attach with healing magic instead of Ink’s method of painting. Finding the proper pieces is harder for him than it is for Ink, not having the tattoos memorized as well. He begins to feel drowsy and faint again midway through, having used a great amount of magic fighting, and then healing both his boyfriends and himself.

“Is it possible for you to just redraw your whole arm instead of having to use these awful puzzle pieces?”

Ink looks up with a question mark in his eyes. After a blink it becomes a swirl as he smiles. “I could, but that’d actually take longer. And it could be less precise!”

Sighing Dream will just nod in understanding, continuing to help. The heaviness gets worse, the edges of his vision seeming to darken. There’s no positivity nearby to continue sustaining him, especially with his magic use. Ink’s seemingly jovial attitude doesn’t count for much, the fake emotions never being able to sustain him. He shakes his head in an attempt to focus his vision, but it only serves to make him dizzy.

He knows he needs to leave and so does Ink. “Wait, you two fought them all off by yourself?? Jeez, no wonder you look so rough! Et tu es pisser dans un violon, your healing isn’t speeding this up at all.”

Dream gives him a squinted look. Looking up just in time to see it, Ink laughs.

“I mean that in the nicest possible way. You should head somewhere to recharge! Blue and I can take care of fixing the timeline,” he suggests.

“I appreciate the offer, though you must call me back once you finish and get up there. Last time I checked, neither of you could reverse the damage caused by strengthened negativity.” Ink just grins, putting his working hand up, a finger to his cheek, accidentally smearing gray paint against his cheek.

“Of course! I’ll make sure!” Despite how definite his voice sounds, Dream can feel the mischievous energy from him.

“I mean it, leaving a third of the job undone is just going to get Nightmare to come back here,” he sternly mentions. “Write it on your scarf, I know you. You might want me to get extra rest but I will not have you using your memory as an excuse.”

Ink pouts and Dream’s expression softens. “How about this. All of us are tired and it’s getting late. After this, we can go to your house and start movie night early. My helping will also stop it from being interrupted.”

“Mmmm, I dunnooooo.” The artist was trying to drag out more from him, Dream could very clearly feel that he was already content with that offer. He sighs anyways, willingly giving in. He knows what his boyfriend wants.

“I won’t argue when you and Blue try to drag Error into it this time.”

That’s enough for Ink’s eyes to turn to stars as he salutes Dream. “Yes sir! You have yourself a deal!” Dream huffs, feigning exasperation, but the small chuckle that follows gives him away.

“Alright. Take care. And make sure you give Blue a big hug when you see him again, he deserves it after today, dealing with everyone.”

Ink nods dutifully. “Yeah, I guess he would have had to take care of them all with me down here. Whoops… Wait a minute—Deal with everyone as in Nightmare’s gang or us?”

“Who said it couldn’t be both?” Dream asked without missing a beat. Ink snorts and laughs.

“That’s fair! He gets to be in the middle of the cuddle pile how about?”

Dream nods. “Sounds good.” Feeling the cold against his chest, he finally remembers to pull back up the stretchy cloth to cover up. “See ya.” He creates a portal and steps through. Ink waves as he goes.

He falls into his bed in Pillowtale, his current place of residence. True to its name, this inn is one of the most comfortable of the few he finds himself frequenting as he moves.

He wonders if they would care if he took the duvet to movie night. Probably not as long as he made sure it was still clean and returned it. He’ll have to ask. But first? Laying face up seems like the best option.

Yeah…

Surely he’ll have time before they call…

Or at least the call will wake him up…

Surely…

So it’s fine if he just…

…

…

**Author's Note:**

> They did end up calling him back by Blue's insistence that they needed his help.
> 
> Feel free to comment with suggestions for more of these, I'm having a blast and am open to ideas! Though honestly even if you don't have a suggestion comments are appreciated as they fuel the fire that is my spotty motivation--


End file.
